A/N:

We still have 1 person left to check in on before the action can begin!

Title: The Death of a Prince

Author: MarieCarro

Beta: Alice's White Rabbit

Pre-reader: brierlynn03, AgoodWITCH, LunaEclipse17

Genre: Crime/Family/Drama

Rating: NC-17

Summary: At age 7, Edward Cullen witnesses his father's death. Traumatized and terrified, he blames himself and runs away.

Two minor league criminals stumble upon him when he wanders the streets at night, freezing and starving, and they decide to take him in.

Years later, Edward is confronted by his past and must decide if he'll take his rightful place as the head of the Irish Mob, or remain with those who raised him. Based on the plot for The Lion King, which belongs to Disney.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

CHAPTER 24

Bella knocked rapidly on the door to the office and carefully arranged her face to be a blank mask before she was called inside.

"Mr. Cullen," she greeted as neutrally as possible despite her insides boiling.

"Isabella." He said her name bitingly. "How lovely to see you haven't abandoned us completely. Your vacation certainly dragged out longer than I first expected."

She gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I saw myself as deserving of it. And as you so eloquently put it before I left, what I won't do, the other reapers will. I heard Renata Volponi's still breathing though."

Caius's lip curled back in disgust at her cheekiness. "Watch your mouth, or I'll find a better use for it. I'm sure Shaw would appreciate a repeat of your first encounter."

Bella's smile fell. She had promised herself, her parents, and Edward that she would do her best to control her anger when she talked to the snake so as not to tip him off about their plans, but his talk of Shaw hit a very particular nerve. "You'd do best not to threaten me, Caius," she warned, and her voice trembled with suppressed rage.

"That's Mr. Cullen to you, Isabella," he said with a wide grin, clearly pleased he'd gotten under her skin. "Never forget you're where you are because I allowed it. I could have made you a common whore if I so wished, and there's nothing you or daddy dearest could've done about it. So you'll give me the respect I demand, or you'll be sorry you ever crossed me."

There were so many things she wanted to say, but she bit her tongue and swallowed it all down.

"That's what I thought," Caius taunted her. "You act all brave and arrogant until you're put in your place. Now, get out of my sight before I do something you'd regret."

Bella went for the door, but just before she touched the handle, she stopped and looked back over her shoulder. "Tell me … Caius … what is it you'd do that I'd regret?" she asked almost innocently, and he narrowed his eyes at her. "Force yourself on me to prove what a whore I am and that you're the big man? Slap me around like you do your wife? Order another reaper to murder me? Is that it?"

He tried, and failed, to maintain his condescending expression. "I don't know. Why don't you try me? I might surprise myself."

She let out a soft scoff without ever breaking their eye-contact. "Is that supposed to scare me? That you don't even know what you're threatening with? Huh." She hummed to herself as she considered it, but then she couldn't hold back the smirk that pushed forward. "I'll see you at the party on Tuesday."

As Bella left the office and headed toward the room where she knew Rosalie spent most of her days, she could hear something being thrown and shatter against the wall, and she grinned, knowing she'd successfully pissed the big baby off without showing him her hand.

"Rose?" she said softly and poked her head through the door leading to what had always been called the Blue Room with walls painted in a serene cornflower shade.

Rosalie had one of the windows wide open, and she was longingly looking at the road leading away from the mansion. When she heard Bella's voice, she turned her head, and her eyes lit up with a weak flicker of hope. "Bella? You're back!"

"I am," Bella said and gave her an affectionate smile as she grabbed Rosalie's hand in hers. "How are you? And before you say you're fine, Esme told me about what happened."

"I wouldn't have said I'm fine even if you didn't know about that," Rosalie said and looked down at her lap. "How could I be with the devil's spawn growing inside of me?"

Bella lowered her voice until it wasn't much above a whisper. "You won't have to deal with it much longer." Rosalie's brows knitted together in confusion, and she looked at Bella again, who tried to give her an encouraging smile. "I didn't return by myself."

Rosalie straightened up in her seat. "You mean—" Bella nodded before she could get the entire question out. "When?"

"My birthday party. So I'm gonna ask you to decide on a place where you can lie low once the shit hits the fan. I know you can take care of yourself, but it's been years since you held a gun, and I don't want to give Caius the opportunity to grab you. Okay? Can you do that for me?"

"Of course," Rosalie agreed. She knew that Bella was right. Ever since she married Caius, he hadn't allowed her access to guns—maybe out of self-preservation since she'd likely shoot him if she got her hands on one—and she was out of practice. The last thing she wanted was to become a liability who would prevent a successful outcome.

For the first time in years, Rosalie felt an emotion akin to peace spreading through her body. Her freedom lay less than a week into the future, and even knowing that it meant she was shortly about to become a widow—as long as everything went as it had to—there wasn't a bone in her body that mourned that coming loss.

She looked back out the window and decided to follow the urge she'd suppressed for several days. "Bella?"

"What, Rose?"

"Let's go outside and sit in the garden."

Bella smiled at her and nodded. "Yes. Let's."

They walked together back down the hall, and the door to Caius's office was still slightly cracked open as Bella had left it, and they could hear him yelling at someone on the phone.

"I don't care if the handlers are complaining. Get them in line! Fix it!"

"Did you know I actually fooled myself into believing even that man had a moral line he wouldn't cross," Rosalie said once they'd cleared the office. "I couldn't process it when I learned he was selling people to the highest bidder and that some of his best clients are the richest men in the world and politicians. I still can't." She shuddered, and all Bella could do was nod in agreement.

"Well, I can't tell you who I've brought with me, but I promise that disgusting slave trade is the first thing that will go once they take over," she said, and Rosalie turned to look at her.

"I know you can't tell me, but can you give me a hint? Do I know who it is?"

"Yes, but that's all I can say." Bella swept her eyes over the empty rooms. "You never know who's listening."

Rosalie sighed, all-too familiar with the feeling of being constantly watched at the mansion, but she quickly decided she wasn't going to let that ruin her temporarily higher spirit. "Then let's talk about your party. I'm sure Esme's made sure everything will be the best of the best. Turning twenty-one is a big deal."

"So everybody keeps telling me," Bella said with a soft chuckle. "But I don't know why. I mean, yeah, I get the social convention and milestone marker of adulthood, but we don't follow those rules in this family. I've already bought and consumed alcohol and cigarettes, been to bars and pubs because bouncers don't check ID as long as you've got your boobs out. I already own several very illegal firearms and moved out of my parents' house. What else is there?"

"Okay, so maybe you don't have the traditional parts of adulthood to look forward to," Rosalie agreed with a smile. "But do you know something you can do after your birthday?"

"What?"

"Go to college." Bella grimaced, but Rosalie didn't let her protest. "You're still so young, Bella, and with Caius, I get that Reaper was the highest position you'd get and it would be something you could do for the rest of your life, but if things change around here, wouldn't you want to look around for something more?"

Bella shrugged and looked away from Rosalie when she realized she hadn't considered how life would be once Edward took over. She had never allowed herself to think that far ahead and give herself false hope. But it was true that she didn't want to be a Reaper until the day she stepped into her grave.

"At least, consider it," Rosalie said when Bella didn't give her an answer. "For your own sake, of course, but I would love to see you get out of here for some time and not because you're on a mission."

"What would you do?" Bella asked. "What's the first thing you'd do if you could get out of here?"

Rosalie looked out over the garden, small lines crinkling her forehead as she thought about it, but then she smiled softly. "I'd go out for a walk … all by myself. I'd walk and walk without a concern that I'd have to return to him."

It was such a simple wish it caused Bella's heart to bleed for her friend. If anyone deserved being rid of Caius, it was her, and Bella gave a silent vow that no matter what happened at the birthday party, at the end of it, Rosalie would be free.

—{(DP)}—

"I feel like I can't move in this."

"And yet, I distinctly remember you said there's nothing wrong with a good suit," Edward said and chuckled at the uncomfortable expression on Jasper's face.

"I don't get why you're complaining, dude," Emmett jumped in and straightened out his jacket in front of the mirror. "We've never looked more respectable in our lives."

Jasper pulled on the collar of his shirt and sighed. "How are we supposed to take down your evil uncle's entire operation if we can't move like normal human beings?"

"At least, all of you will look devilishly handsome even if we lose."

They all turned to the door where Bella was standing, made up and ready to go to the party. Edward's jaw slackened at her appearance as it was so very different from every other getup he'd seen her in.

The first night when they met again, everything had been over the top from the height of her stiletto heels to the shortness of her dress and the smokiness of her eye makeup. After that, she'd kept to the natural look, mostly wearing comfortable athletic clothes, hair up and out of her face, and minimal amounts of makeup.

Now, she had combined the two ends of the spectrum and created a stunning masterpiece of beauty, and Edward couldn't tear his eyes away.

Bella, naturally, noticed and grinned at him. "You okay, Edward? You look a little stunned." She knew exactly why he was staring at her, and she enjoyed the attention. Maybe even a little bit too much.

He blinked to pull himself out of his surprised state. "Sorry. You're just … so beautiful," he said without even attempting to cover up the truth. From behind him, he could hear Emmett mumble something that sounded like "damn, that's smooth," but he wasn't really paying much attention to it.

"Thank you," Bella said, suddenly not so sure of herself. She hadn't expected Edward's completely honest answer, and she was at a loss as to how to react. Ever since she hit puberty, she'd been told she was hot and sexy but never beautiful. On top of that already powerful word, hearing it from Edward was on an astronomically higher level than anything else had ever been before. She took a deep breath to collect herself and to push the untimely emotions spreading through her chest away. "So are you all ready?"

Edward nodded but didn't say anything, so Jasper decided to take over. "Yes, but how exactly are we supposed to get inside the gates without Caius knowing?"

"You and Emmett will be no problem," Bella said and reached into her purse to pull out two envelopes that she offered to them. "Caius barely knows what anyone working for him looks like, much less what guests of mine look like. I took the liberty of fixing two invitations for you so you'll easily pass through. Edward, on the other hand, we'll have to smuggle through with the caterers." She turned back to Edward. "Could I talk to you in private for a sec?"

"Sure."

They left the room, and Bella led him into one of the guest rooms of her parents' house, which was where they'd all decided to get ready, for convenience sake.

"What's up?" he asked, but before he'd even gotten the full question out, she had grabbed his neck and pulled him down so she could crush her mouth to his, kissing him like there was no tomorrow—which could technically be the truth, depending on how the day would end. Bella held nothing back, and Edward could even feel the hint of desperation in her kiss.

When they parted just enough to take a breath, their foreheads still touching and Bella's fingers remained interwoven behind his neck, they were both panting.

"Not that I'm complaining," Edward said. "But what was that?"

"I'm sorry," she breathed out. "I know this is the worst possible timing in the history of ever, but it just sort of hit me that today is the day." She leaned away fully and looked him in the eye. "I'm not really allowing myself to consider it, and I know exactly what I said the last time we had this conversation, but if this is my final chance to share something with you, I didn't want it to pass me by."

He smiled sadly, understanding all-too-well what she was saying without actually saying it, and his insides clenched painfully. "I'm glad you didn't," he said.

"I didn't mean the kiss," she said and let out a soft laugh. "That was just a bonus."

"Then what is it?"

"When we talked at my apartment, I made it sound as if this thing, whatever it is between us, was something I wasn't affected by or didn't feel like you do, but that's not true. I'm just scared of what it'll mean if both of us don't come out of today alive." She had to look away from his eyes when they started to pull her back in. "Because I feel something for you, too, Edward. And I wanted you to know that before we go."

Edward reached up with his hand until he could cup her cheek and gently ask her to look back at him. When she did, he was softly smiling at her. "It's okay to show me you're scared. God knows you've seen me beyond terrified more than once, and we're still here."

Much slower than she had, he brought her face closer until their lips connected, and Bella let out a shaky, but content, sigh.

"I'm happy you told me how you feel," Edward said, his breath tickling her lips. "Gives me even more to look forward to once this is all over."

"How you can be so optimistic about all of this amazes me," she said. "Hopefully, that attitude will be our good luck charm."

He shrugged lightly. "Yeah, maybe, who knows. I am Irish after all." His intention with the lighthearted statement worked, and Bella let out a laugh.

"True. Maybe we'll actually achieve the impossible and find that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."

"That's the spirit," he said and winked at her before placing one last kiss on her cheek. "We've got this," he encouraged. "We're Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. There's nothing we can't accomplish together."

Bella nodded, feeling sufficiently boosted and ready for the day. "You're right." She held up her hand for him to take, which he gladly did. "Let's go overthrow a tyrannical asshole."

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

A/N:

*Thunder in the distance* ^^, It's time.

We got another nail in Caius coffin, but Bella stood her own, and she got to update Rose and give the poor woman just the hint of hope she needed.

We got the brothers suiting up ^^, And finally we got Bella telling Edward the truth and a kiss of luck and strength!

Here we go...

Thursday … Friday … Saturday …

Stay Awesome!